Game on...

A new study on motion gaming, video games that involve frequent movement such as playing games on Wii and Kinect gaming systems, finds that elderly individuals can benefit physically and emotionally from these fun activities. Video games that allow seniors to participate in previously enjoyed activities such as tennis, bowling, and golf are particularly helpful in improving health.

According to a study by the Gerontological Society, virtually engaging in previously enjoyed activities increases life satisfaction, decreases reported loneliness, improves mood, and increases physical activity. Seniors also reported feeling “more apart of things” and more connected to the younger generation.

Another study by the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine found that playing Wii helped treat seniors with depression. More than a third of participants reported a 50 percent or greater reduction in depressive symptoms.

Even infrequent motion gaming sessions have been shown to improve balance coordination and strength, all of which are useful in preventing falls.

Read more about the benefits of motion gaming.

Will working past 65 affect your Social Security payment?

Many people continue to work beyond retirement age, either by choice or out of necessity. But if you are receiving Social Security benefits, you need to be aware of how working can affect your benefit payments. Earning income above Social Security thresholds can cause a reduction in benefits and mean your benefits will be taxed.

Whether it makes sense to work and collect Social Security at the same time is a complicated assessment that depends on how much you earn and when you begin taking Social Security benefits.

How much can you earn and still get benefits? If you were born January 2, 1943, through January 1, 1955, then your full retirement age for retirement insurance benefits is 66. If you work and are full retirement age or older, you may keep all of your benefits, no matter how much you earn. If you are younger than full retirement age, there is a limit to how much you can earn and still receive full Social Security benefits. If you are younger than full retirement age during all of 2011, SS will deduct $1 from your benefits for each $2 you earned above $14,160. If you reach full retirement age during 2011, SS will deduct $1 from your benefits for each $3 you earn above $37,680 until the month you reach full retirement age.

The Greatest Generation meets Generation Me

As more seniors opt to live closer to their alma-mater or various
college towns across America, new concepts are sprouting on how those
seniors will interact with the students on campus. According to a WSJ
article this week entitled, “Making Sure Athletes Go to Class”,
the University of Kansas has tapped a group of local seniors who are
tasked with keeping tabs on the student athletes to ensure they attend
class.

In a tale filled with sweet talk and bribes, the article outlines a good example of the importance of keeping seniors active in their community and how it leads to building bonds with the "younger generation".

5 things I wish everyone knew about Alzheimer's

by Dennis Fortier, President Medical Care Corporation

There is much needless confusion about certain aspects of the Alzheimer's field. In fact, this blog exists almost solely to help reduce that confusion.

Many bloggers, and some sloppy journalists, compound the problem with their inaccurate daily descriptions and ambiguous word choices. Here are 5 things I wish they would all get straight:

1. Alzheimer's is but one disease, albeit the most common, of many that can lead to dementia.

Parkinsons's disease, stroke, head injuries, and a host of other medical conditions can also lead to dementia. Alzheimer's is a progressive disease that seems to begin with an accumulation of amyloid protein in the brain, followed by subtle symptoms of memory loss, and eventually, enough brain damage to render a person demented.

2. The term "Dementia" does not refer to a disease.

Dementia is a term that describes a fairly advanced state of cognitive decline, when diminished brain health is so severe that it interferes with a person's life. How a person has arrived at that state of diminished brain health is a separate and distinct matter.

Importantly, when you hear about "early dementia", you are hearing about the earliest stages of a condition that is already quite severe. A little memory loss is a problem that should be evaluated, but it is not "dementia" until it becomes so severe that it interferes with daily living.

3. Early detection of Alzheimer's is not the same as "predicting" Alzheimer's disease.

In the first case, we would identify the pathology of AD and provide optimal treatment, prior to the massive brain damage that eventually causes dementia. Predicting risk, on the other hand, is still a very uncertain science with complex pros and cons. (So complex, in fact, that many bio-ethicists are currently able to earn a living discussing them.)

4. Having "no cure" for Alzheimer's is not the same as "having no treatment".

Controlling symptoms and slowing disease progression are both beneficial outcomes short of a cure. Because we don't understand the disease well, it has been difficulty to identify drugs that significantly alter the disease course. However, much of the perceived inability to treat the disease is driven by the fact that we identify AD much too late, and intervene only after major brain damage has occurred.

The negative perception of treatment is also driven by a narrow focus on drug efficacy, as opposed to the combined effect of a more robust treatment approach involving diet, exercise, and management of contributing conditions.

5. Very few diseases can be diagnosed with 100% certainty, Alzheimer's is not particularly unique in this regard.

By following published guidelines for a diagnostic work-up, physicians can accurately diagnose AD more than 90% of the time. This is well within the range of acceptable clinical certainty. The repeated mantra in the press, that an autopsy is required to diagnose AD with 100% certainty, may be true but is also nearly meaningless.

With more careful reporting on these 5 aspects of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, we could eliminate much unnecessary confusion which could help us approach solutions with more clarity and success. Please share this post with your online networks to help spread the message.

Twilight Wish Foundation needs your help

Twilight Wish Foundation, a 501c3, needs your help to grant a wish that they received from an elderly couple from Missouri. Larry and Mary have been married 48 years and have three children and nine grandchildren. Their wish is for a new oven to replace their old one that broke on Thanksgiving morning.

Like many other seniors living on a fixed income, the rising costs of food, gasoline, utilities and prescriptions do not allow for any extras. In fact, Larry's tractor has been broken for months because they can't afford to fix it. They have given to others throughout their life together, donating surplus fruit and vegetables from their garden to neighbors and the senior citizens center in their town. Larry was a volunteer firefighter, President of the Chamber of Commerce, a church elder, and an Adult Sunday School teacher.

Their simple wish for a basic need illustrates the struggle that many elderly Americans face today. If you would like to help grant this wish or any of our other open wishes, please visit their website www.twilightwish.org or to mail your donation: 32 Union Street, Doylestown, PA 18901. To learn how you can help others in need call 215-230-8777 ext. 100.
Funding for this wish will go directly to grant this wish. If excess funds are received, the would appreciate the opportunity to use them to grant other basic necessity Twilight Wishes unless your request otherwise.

Generation Alzheimer's

The Alzheimer’s Association has nicknamed the baby boomer generation “Generation Alzheimer’s” in a new report, since one in eight boomers is expected to develop the disease, for which there is no cure. Deaths related to Alzheimer’s are soaring, increasing 66 percent between 2000 and 2008, and scientists predict an approaching tipping point.

The report finds that most of America’s greatest generation will spend their retirement years with Alzheimer’s or caring for someone who has it. About 13.5 million Americans are expected to suffer from Alzheimer’s by 2050 costing an estimated $1.078 trillion in current US dollars.

The report also concludes that Alzheimer’s research is underfunded. “If you think finding a cure is expensive, consider the cost of facing people living with the disease and taking care of them” the report urges, “Every day brings us closer to a cure. An additional commitment through a public private partnership could push us over the edge.”

Read full report...

Older patients may get lower quality care at hospital ER's

Trauma centers may not give the same high-quality care to severely injured elderly patients as they provide to younger patients, according to a new study.

Researchers analyzed data on 87,754 trauma patients of all ages treated at 131 trauma centers in the United States and one trauma center in Canada. About one-quarter of the patients were elderly.

When patients in all age groups were grouped together, 14 centers were rated as high performers, with lower than expected rates of death. When young and elderly patients were looked at separately, seven centers were high performers for young patients and nine were high performers for elderly patients. Only two centers were high performers for both young and elderly patients.

The study findings are published in the January issue of the journal Annals of Surgery.

"In the study we showed that although some centers demonstrate high performance overall, these same centers might not be providing the same high-quality care to the elderly," Dr. Barbara Haas, of St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, said in a news release from the American College of Surgeons.

"We've shown that elderly patients have different needs from young patients. Centers need to focus on the needs of the elderly specifically in order to improve their quality of care," she added.

The study authors noted that an aging population means trauma centers are seeing many more elderly patients, who are more likely than younger patients to have conditions such as heart disease, lung disease and diabetes. These health problems need to be taken into account at the same time elderly patients are being treated for their injuries.